Better result was possible without extra pitstop – Daniil Kvyat

Toro Rosso’s Daniil Kvyat believes a better result was possible at the 2017 Australian Grand Prix after an unscheduled pitstop late on.

The Russian driver lined up ninth on the grid but lost a spot to Sergio Perez on lap one, before gaining positions and running as high as sixth with an alternative strategy.

He ran a long first stint on the ultra-softs before switching to super-softs, but an extra stop to top his car up with air for a second time cost him a place to his team-mate Carlos Sainz Jr.

Kvyat had his sights set on Pérez in seventh at the time of his unscheduled second trip to the pits and while he was pleased with the race result, he felt more was achievable.

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“What a good race,” he said. “It was just a shame that we had to make an extra stop during the final laps, as we had to fill my car with air again.

“If it hadn’t been for that, P7 was definitely on the table and we were fighting for it well. The team has done a fantastic job all weekend and I’m very glad about that – congratulations and thank you everyone.

“We now need to keep pushing and fighting for more points. Physically speaking, it wasn’t an easy race but I felt good the whole time.

“All in all, a good way to start the season, showing strong pace and with both cars in the points; now we can start to prepare for China and we can all be pleased with ourselves.”